1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to soft or folding structures and more particularly to a device and method for securely attaching a rigid panel or window to a vehicle soft top or other similar structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the construction of soft convertible tops for automobiles or other vehicles such as boats or in the construction of “soft” static structures such as tents, it is often necessary to attach a window made of glass or other rigid material such as Plexiglas to a main structure of fabric or some other flexible material. It is currently known to use gluing or other substantially permanent techniques to attach the window directly to the soft top. Another known technique is to provide a metal frame to hold the window and then glue the metal frame to the soft top. These methods have certain limitations in that replacement of the entire top is often required when the window either breaks or works loose from its position in the top over the years, as the top is raised and lowered many times. Replacement of a window when using currently known mounting techniques is thus frequently time consuming, expensive, and wasteful. In addition, currently known window mountings do not permit the user to tighten the mounting to better secure and/or seal a loosened window.